Wytheville Community College: Feb 17, 2009

Regular, Effective Communication is Essential to a Happy Family Life

Regular, Effective Communication is Essential to a Happy Family Life

Communication is a two-way discussion involving a speaker and a listener and has been referred to as the life-blood of the family; the success of family-life depends on it. The family circle is the ideal place for communication, but admittedly it does take time and effort. Unfortunately, the same advances in technology that can make our lives easier and more pleasurable can also be communication stealers.1) Television: A frequent communication stealer is the television. It can be so enticing that family members become addicted to it, resulting in a dearth of communication. Television can also serve as a way of escape when there are misunderstandings or hurt feelings. Instead of working out problems, individuals may choose to clam up and watch television. So the TV set can well contribute to a failure to communicate.It has been found that those who have either reduced the time spent watching TV or dispensed with it altogether have experienced increased communication with each other and their lives have improved significantly. Some say that surprisingly they were not bored as they filled the gap by really talking and listening as well as doing things together.2) The Telephone: Another great asset if used wisely. Many may immediately think that teenagers and tweens are the main offenders of telephone overuse. This would be a misconception. With the involvement of adults in diverse activities, groups, clubs, friends, it's easy to 'catch-up' when everyone is home from work. The downside is that this is also the time when your family is home from work and school. No one likes to be ignored and very few people enjoy hearing a one-sided conversation. Every person has to make their own decision and determine what limits they will set, but some families choose not to answer telephone calls during dinner and others choose not to answer the phone after a certain time or before a certain time so that they can enjoy uninterrupted quality time with their family.By taking time to communicate with your family, you will be in a good position to give them wise direction in the struggles of everyday life. Such direction given now can save much time and heartache in the future. Furthermore, it can contribute to your happiness as you enjoy better relations with your mate and children, if any.And now I invite you to visit my website at http://www.mysuccesscircleonline.blogspot.com to learn how you can create a FREE Gift Account and send two cards to family members with my compliments.You are also invited to join my Mailing List so that you can receive notices when a new article is published.

Top Ten Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills

Top Ten Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills

1) Listen without judgment. The key to good communication is listening well. Save your judging for later after you have heard and understood what was said.2) Listen with the willingness to be swayed to the other person's opinion. No obligation to actually being swayed, but stay open to the option.3) Listen without thinking about what you will say next. Take time before you respond.4) Do not be invested in being right. Being right is not the point. If you must be right, you are not able to listen nor communicate because you have set up a barrier already. If you are always right that means the other person is always wrong. That cannot be true.5) If your mind wanders, ask for repetition. We all are subject to distraction. Try to stay focused.6) In all cases repeat back what you heard and ask if it is correct.7) Listen to yourself. Find quiet moments and pay attention to what you are hearing from yourself. Does your body tighten up about certain issues. Body language is not something to read only in other people.8) Say it honestly, but with consideration for the listener's feelings. Be polite, respectful and sincere.9) Understand and acknowledge that most things are not black or white, but somewhere in a gray area. Get comfortable with gray.10) Have integrity and build trust. Don't say what you don't mean. Don't promise what you won't or can't fulfill. Follow through with any committments you make.Good listening skills take practice. Specific coaching may be necessary if you find you have communication issues with your boss, colleagues, subordinates, partners or personal relationships.About The AuthorDorene Lehavi, Ph.D. is principal of Next Level Business and Professional Coaching. She coaches Professionals and Business Partners and teaches teleclasses on techniques to break through barriers to the next level. Dr. Lehavi offers a complimentary coaching session so you can experience how coaching can work for you. Contact Dr. Lehavi at DL@CoachingforYourNextLevel.com or on the web at http://www.CoachingforYourNextLevel.com Subscribe to Mastering Your Next Level monthly e-newsletter at http://www.coachingforyournextlevel.com/newsletter.html

Dublin's Most Famous Literary Pubs

Dublin's Most Famous Literary Pubs

Dublin is a city that can proudly boast to being home to many of the literary greats over the centuries. It's a city steeped in history and culture, and this can be seen wherever you happen to wander. The buildings and monuments are a constant reminder of some of the great works of literature that have stemmed from this fair city. In Merrion Square there's a monument to Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), notable for plays such as The Importance of Being Ernest and An Ideal Husband, an if you wander past the Grand Canal you will see Patrick Kavanagh sitting on the banks.What better way to get a taste of the culture and the origins of Irish Literature than by partaking of a pint of the black stuff in a Dublin inn that was once frequented by some of the most talented writers the world has ever known. Literary Ireland spans from Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), author of Gulliver's Travels, up to Roddy Doyle (1958-) winner of The Booker Prize 1993 for Ha Ha Ha. Even better still bring along a copy of Ulysses to keep you company along the way!Pub crawl tours around Dublin have become a popular tourist magnet over the years but why not make up your own route and decide on which famous writers you would like to learn more about? Your tour can have you passing historical buildings and areas of Dublin that provided influence in many great pieces of literary excellence such as James Joyce's Ulysses. And you can enjoy a 'tipple' in some of the oldest drinking establishments Dublin city has to offer along your (merry) way!South of the River Liffey you'll find O'Neills on Suffolk Street, this pub is over 300 years old and is a good starting point for your very own literary pub crawl of Dublin. It's located on what was originally a mound of earth and home to the Norse Parliament. O'Neills is mentioned in James Joyce's famous novel Ulysses, which describes a day in the life of Leopold Bloom (June 16th 1904) and his view of Dublin. This pub has changed hands over the centuries but it has retained its character and charm.From here a short distance away on Duke Street, just off Grafton Street, is the well-known establishment The Duke. It's situated close to Trinity College and a short walk from the main thoroughfare of O Connell Street. This pub boasts a reputation as having been regularly frequented by the likes of Joyce, Kavanagh, Beehan and many others. It's renowned for being a lively spot and a good place to soak up the Irish pub culture.Davy Byrnes is also situated on Duke Street and is a pub saturated in Irish history and culture. The premises was first licensed as a pub in1789 and purchased in 1889 by Davy Byrnes, whose name has remained above the pub to this day. James Joyce was a regular visitor to the pub and formed a friendship with Davy himself."He entered Davy Byrnes. Moral Pub. He doesn't chat. Stands a drink now and then. But in a leap year one if four. Cashed a cheque for me once" (Joyce, Ulysses, 1922).This is a very popular place to be on Bloomsday, 16th June, where many people come to enjoy a Gorgonzola sandwich and a glass of burgundy, as Bloom did himself in 1904. An added piece of literary information related to Davy Byrnes was that Brendan Beehan was arrested outside the pub for being involved in a brawl.A short distance from here is McDaids Pub on Harry Street, just off Grafton Street. McDaids is well known throughout Dublin for its superb pints of Guinness and its lively atmosphere. It was a favourite haunt of the famous literary author Brendan Beehan and it's said that some of the characters in 'The Plough Boy' and 'The Hostage' were based on people Beehan had become acquainted with in McDaids. It was also a popular haunt of Patrick Kavanagh, JP Donleavy and Flann O Brien. The interior of the pub has remained relatively unchanged and therefore you get a good idea of how Brendan Beehan may have felt sitting there enjoying a drink while thinking up more great works of art.A few minutes walk from Grafton Street, on South Great George Street, and housed in a magnificent listed building is the Long Hall Pub. This is a very popular local pub and one of Dublin's oldest watering houses. It's traditionally decorated and will give you a good feel for what pubs were like in Ireland many years ago. It's renowned for having a warm and welcoming atmosphere and all who visit are made to feel like part of the furniture.Ten minutes walk from Grafton Street, on Baggot Street, is the old style traditional pub Toners. It's well known as supposedly being the only pub the famous Irish poet, WB Yeats frequented. Yeats was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923 and was also one of the founding members of the Abbey Theatre. Two of his well-known poems are 'The Wanderings of Oisin' and 'The Second Coming'. Yeats was said to have enjoyed the odd sherry in Toners, perhaps pondering on his unrequited love by Maud Gonne! Toners has an old rustic feel to it with original stock drawers still behind the counter and a traditional stone floor. Patrick Kavanagh was also a regular visitor to Toners. Kavanagh was a famous Irish poet and novelist; two of his most popular productions were 'The Great Hunger' and 'Raglan Road'.To have a reputation as having great literary significance in Dublin, beautifully sums up The Palace Bar. Situated on Fleet Street, a short walk from Grafton Street and Temple Bar. This is a traditional bar with a difference. It's Pre-Victorian and therefore has a different feel to many of the other Dublin pubs. The Palace Bar is an old pub dating back to the early 19th century. It is steeped in literary history and is famously known for being home in the 1940's to 'The Fourth Estate' (educated people whose interest is in literature). This get together of the 'who's who' of Dublin literary society was held in the back room of the pub with its spectacular stained glass, and still to this day it has retained a strong historical feel. The Palace was a favourite spot for Patrick Kavanagh, Brendan Beehan and Flann O Brien. It remains a popular hang out for journalists probably hoping for some inspiration so as to embark on their first Booker Prize winning novel. It has a reputation as being one of Dublin's favourite pubs and has remained untouched and untainted by the modern era.Mulligans Pub situated on Poolbeg Street, just off Burgh Quay, is a pub that has refused to change with the times. Its interior is dated but its atmosphere is alive and kicking. It was mentioned in Ulysses but perhaps what it is better known for is its numerous famous visitors over the years. Although they may not be considered literary geniuses they would have been many literary pieces done in their honour! JF Kennedy frequented the pub in the 1940's when he worked for the Hearst Newspaper Chain. Other visitors included Judy Garland, Maureen O Hara, Cecil Sheridan and Eamon Andrews who were but a few of Mulligans clientele.'The Society for the Preservation of the Dublin Accent' used to hold their meetings here and you can see a plaque in commemoration to them on the wall.Other pubs with literary connections to look out for on your wanderings through this area are The Brazen Head, on Bridge Street and Grogans situated on South William Street.A word of warning; if embarking on this literary tour of Dublin pubs, it might be an idea to do it over a couple of days or abstain from the black stuff in some of the establishments. By the end you'll hopefully be influenced enough to attempt a Nobel Prize winning novel yourself!Mairead Foley writes for the Ireland travel and accommodation website http://www.GoIreland.com.Visit GoIreland for all you need to know before visiting Dublin, like what to see and where to go. View B&Bs, guesthouses and self catering in Dublin as well as Dublin hotels.

Celebrity Sedu Hairstyle - What You Need To Know

Celebrity Sedu Hairstyle - What You Need To Know

If you know what a Sedu hairstyle is then youвЂ™ve got culture. If youвЂ™re interested in learning more about it, then youвЂ™ve got class. Celebrities are now almost always wearing their hair in a Sedu style and itвЂ™s todayвЂ™s hair trend.The Sedu hairstyle may have came from Japan or China. This is most probably where it all started, but now itвЂ™s gotten to America and now the Sedu flat iron is one of the most famous ones on the market. Many people have sought after the celebrity Sedu hairstyle and the Sedu iron is one of the best selling irons around.So what makes Sedu so special? ItвЂ™s probably because the celebrities wear them. You see people like Jennifer Aniston or Jennifer Lopez in pictures and on the TV with such beautiful hair thanks to the Sedu hairstyle. Many people love this look and want to look like that too.However, these celebrity Sedu hairstyles werenвЂ™t done at home with an iron. Celebrities have better things to do with their time, so they simply go to a salon or have their special hairdresser make them their hairdo. In the states, such a hairdo can cost you over a thousand dollars. Looking like a celebrity comes with a priceвЂ¦However, you can get yourself a Sedu flat iron and do your hairdo at home. The iron isnвЂ™t all that expensive compared to a one-shot salon hairstyle and itвЂ™s more economical, provided you use the iron a couple times.The Celebrity Sedu Hairstyle iron is a special iron that has ionic plates. These plates take away the electrons from your hair, giving it a special and beautiful look, unlike any other iron.There are different ways of doing your celebrity-like Sedu hairstyle and you should experiment to find what suits you.If youвЂ™re interested in learning more about the celebrity sedu hairstyle, you can visit the celebrity Sedu hairstyle website.

Wytheville Community College

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Regular, Effective Communication is Essential to a Happy Family Life

Top Ten Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills

Dublin's Most Famous Literary Pubs

Celebrity Sedu Hairstyle - What You Need To Know

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